#CabinetReshuffle: Ramaphosa announces return of old faces

President Cyril Ramaphosa announces his new Cabinet during a press conference at the Union Buildings. Picture: Thobile Mathonsi /African News Agency/ANA

Pretoria - President Cyril Ramaphosa's new Cabinet is filled with new faces and has seen the return of former ministers that were booted out during Jacob Zuma's presidency.

Some ANC members that have made their return include former finance ministers Pravin Gordhan, who takes over as the Minister of Public Enterprises, and Nhlanhla Nene who returns to his previous post.

Derek Hanekom has also been appointed as the Minister of Tourism.

All three were previously fired by Zuma during a series of Cabinet reshuffles in the past three to four years.

Zuma fired Nene as finance minister in December 2015, replacing him with unknown parliamentary backbencher Des van Rooyen. He was then forced to sack van Rooyen and reappoint Gordhan, a previous finance minister, four days later after the rand collapsed.

Gordhan, who was fired by Zuma last March, was also reappointed to the Cabinet to take over the key public enterprises department, which oversees around 300 state-owned enterprises, including loss-making South African Airways and cash-strapped power utility Eskom.

Gordhan, a member of Parliament’s ad-hoc committee probing state capture at public enterprises, has been critical of his predecessor Lynne Brown, one of several former ministers linked to the Gupta empire.

"In making these changes, I have been conscious of the need to balance continuity and stability with the need for renewal, economic recovery and accelerated transformation," Ramaphosa said in his brief speech.

The President's reshuffle will see mixed reactions from some as certain ministers that were singled out as "incompetent" have survived.

Former Minister of Social Development Bathabile Dlamini is one of those ministers that survived. She has been appointed as Minister of The Presidency: Women.

Nomvula Mokonyane has also survived and has been appointed as Communications Minister. She previously held the position of water and sanitation minister.

But some controversial ministers who have been linked to state capture have been booted out, including Des van Rooyen and Mosebenzi Zwane.

While Fikile Mbalula has been removed as the minister of police.

Some other ministers that have been fired include:

* Lynne Brown, who has been replaced as Public Enterprises Minister by Pravin Gordhan

* David Mahlobo hands over State Security to Jeff Radebe

* Faith Muthambi's Communications ministry will now be headed by Nomvula Mokonyane

* Hlengiwe Mkhize's post as Minister of Higher Education and Training will now be filled by Naledi Pandor